The Clarence crew to light up Fish Lane with Nitō, a bold and alluring Japanese grill
The team behind Clarence is doubling down on Fish Lane, with chefs Ben McShane and Matt Kuhnemann preparing to open their second Brisbane restaurant. Nitō will be a 70-seat Japanese-inspired grill serving charcoal-kissed fare, highballs and sake. Don’t expect a traditional izakaya experience – Nitō is set to be darker, louder and considerably punchier than its celebrated sibling.
Just over a year ago, Clarence pulled up stumps, moving away from its brick-clad Woolloongabba home and settling into fresh digs in Fish Lane. Since then, chefs Ben McShane and Matt Kuhnemann have taken Clarence to new heights, cementing the restaurant’s status as one of Brisbane’s best.
One would think that between crushing every service, debuting at Night Feast and racking up awards, Ben and Matt wouldn’t have time for much else. But, unbeknownst to many, the crew has been hard at work over the past 12 months putting pieces in place for its follow-up.
In November, the Clarence crew will open Nitō – a 70-seat Japanese-inspired grill taking shape just a few doors down in Stockwell’s 51 Fish building.
The name, a compound word in Japanese used to count specialty equipment like lamps or lights, is a nod to Two Lights – the London restaurant where Ben, Matt and Clarence’s venue manager Zoe O’Mahoney first worked together. The now-closed restaurant’s culinary approach – technique masked by a down-home approachability – is echoed in Clarence’s own produce-forward offering.
“Two Lights was like lots of other restaurants in East London and in Paris and New York,” Ben recalls. “It was filled with chefs that had come from amazing backgrounds, with amazing pedigree. But it was just like a neighbourhood restaurant – the attention to detail was there, the quality of produce was there, but it was a more laid-back environment.”
When Stockwell offered the second site to Ben and Matt, the duo first put thought towards a concept that was markedly different from Clarence, but still played to their strengths and background.
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“We thought about it and asked ourselves, if we were going to do something, what would that actually look like if there were no rules?” says Ben.
“It felt like something was missing in the lane – something we could contribute and, with my background, could execute at a pretty high level.”
So, the team has settled on Japanese – a cuisine that Ben has ample experience with, dating back to his stints at Kiyomi, Sokyo and two-Michelin-starred Umu in London. But Nitō won’t be recreating a traditional izakaya experience. Instead, Ben and Matt will be using Japanese ingredients and techniques (alongside plenty of locally sourced goodness) to craft something that reflects place and provenance.
“We just want it to be a Japanese restaurant that feels relevant in Brisbane today,” says Ben. “It’s the same philosophy [as Clarence], where it’s about what’s local, using relationships with farmers, but then applying a Japanese lens to that.”
Nitō’s menu will feature everything from raw seafood, snacks and small dishes to large-format plates. A charcoal grill will lend heat to sizeable cuts of fish, pork and beef, plus dishes like claypot rice.
“There’s even lamb and stuff on the menu, so there’s things that will make sense to people in Brisbane,” says Matt.
Subscribe for updatesOver at the bar, Nitō’s beverage program will boast a different focus compared to Clarence, with a distinct cocktail offering and a sake and highball program joined by a wine list featuring drops from Australia and Japan, plus champagne.
Where Clarence’s corner location features high ceilings and large glass windows facing the street and laneway, Nitō is cloistered away underneath the building’s car ramp with a tiered floorplan, giving the site a more closed-in feel. The Clarence team, alongside Stockwell and bespoke interior design crew Studio Hillier, have collaborated on an aesthetic that matches the site’s unique foundations.
“It’s under a car park ramp – there’s no natural light,” says Matt. “You really have to play into that dark, grungy vibe.”
“There’s definitely a vulgarity to the space, coupled with the pipes sticking out of the ceiling and stuff like that,” adds Ben. “It’s all character that you can work with and lean into.”
The team describes Nitō’s eventual look as loungy, moody, loud and dark. Renders show glass blocks and red tones used across the restaurant’s tiered dining areas, with seating divided among intimate booths and individual tables.
When its all said and done, Ben and Matt believe that Nitō will offer the perfect contrast to Clarence, adding an extra touch of verve to Fish Lane’s multifaceted offering.
“It’s a counter to what Clarence is,” says Ben. “Clarence is very restrained and light – there’s complexity in what we do, but it’s not easy to see immediately. Whereas Nitō, it’s the complete opposite of that – it’s louder, the food’s punchier and the space is darker.
“Everything Clarence isn’t, this place is.”
Nitō is tracking for an opening date in early-to-mid November. We’ll be taking a closer look inside once it launches.
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